Episode 118 – Changing Your Mind About Open Adoption

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You’ve got to keep rolling with the punches and remaining flexible in foster care and adoption. What are the principles to consider when deciding to increase or decrease the level of openness in adoption? We talk through how and why we’ve made some changes in our open adoption. We also discuss a new “character” to the podcast, “Justin”, Andrea and Linda’s birth father, who we’ve recently made contact with.

In this episode we discuss The Open Adoption Experience, a book that helped us in our journey; and a program that lets you host foster youth or Colombian orphans in your home, called Kidsave.

Standard Podcast [ 26:05 | 23.89 MB ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Episode 117 – The Connected Child

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We’re back with a new episode. We focus in on the wonderful, amazing, life-changing Karyn Purvis and her book The Connected Child. In addition we catch you up on our lives with quick recommendations for The Kazdin Method and Bedwetting Alarms. Plus, some thoughts on the future of the Foster Parenting Podcast and our looming decision about growing our family.

Episode 117 - The Connected Child [ 32:00 | 0.01 MB ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Don’t Adopt Pat Robertson’s View on Orphans

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Pat Robertson recently answered a viewer question by regrettably stating:

A man doesn’t want to take on the United Nations. This woman has all these various children, a blended family, I mean what is it? You don’t know what problems there are; I’m serious I’ve got a dear friend, adopted a child from an orphanage down in Colombia, child had brain damage, you know child grew up weird. And you just never know what’s been done to a child before you get that child, what kind of sexual abuse, what kind of cruelty, what kind of food deprivation, So you’re not a dog because you don’t want to take on that responsibility. You don’t have to take on someone else’s problems. You really don’t, you can go help people, you can minister to people, we minister to orphans all over the world, thousands of them. We love orphans. We love helping people. But that doesn’t necessarily mean I going to take all the orphans around the world into my home.

It should be pointed out, that despite the title of the YouTube video, Robertson does not say, “Don’t Adopt Children.” Continue reading →

Episode 116 – Unusual Adoption Story

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T interviews Zach about their adoption and its many unusual circumstances. Their story will leave you inspired and stretch your imagination about what is possible in creating a family. Before listening to this episode make sure to watch this great video.

Standard Podcast [ 35:58 | 32.93 MB ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Episode 115 – Indian Child Welfare Act

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Have you heard of special laws governing the adoption of children who are of Native American descent? In the US, children who are Native American fall under a specific law called the Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA), which can govern their adoptive and foster placements.

T interviews Johnston Moore about ICWA. They discuss the origins and intentions of the federal law and its ongoing application. Originally created to ensure the rights of Native Americans, Moore says that the law is sometimes used to make decisions that may not be in the best interests of children.

Johnston Moore belongs to a network of activists working to amend the law. If you wish to contact him, he can be reached at http://www.home-4-ever.org

Standard Podcast [ 32:34 | 29.81 MB ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Episode 114 – Introducing Mercy

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Standard Podcast [ 24:50 | 22.73 MB ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

D & K introduce the first “loin child” into the podcast. Baby Mercy entered their home and Dillon and Austin have accepted her with open arms and love. Hear the update on their family as they all adjust to being a family of five.

They wrestled with how to tell Dillon’s kindergarten class about his life before adoption, but thanks to your help they found a way to overcome their lack of knowledge and affirm his adoption.

Episode 113 – Spring Update

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Episode 113 - Spring Update [ 15:10 | 13.89 MB ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Yes, we’re back with a new episode. This one breaks a record set many years ago. Catch up on our life and all the decisions that are forming our family. We’ve also got a number of questions for our co-hosts.

We’ll be a part of a foster parenting panel at Orphan Summit. Make sure to say “hi” if you’re there. http://www.summitviii.org/

Episode 112 – Opening Up to Birth Parents

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Standard Podcast [ 45:33 | 41.74 MB ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Many foster parents draw firm boundaries between themselves and their foster children’s birth parents. But is this right? In this interview with Saint Fults, a social worker in St. Louis, Missouri, we learn of another perspective of openness toward birth family relationships from the beginning of the child’s placement.

Fults advocates that foster parents should consider opening their lives more fully to birth families, including hosting visits in the foster home.

The perspective challenged us to think about what is truly best for the children in our care, and how a higher degree of openness in foster care might better set up birth families for successful reunification.

Episode 111 – Lice Invasion

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Standard Podcast [ 33:21 | 30.56 MB ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

D & K are back with a new episode. They welcomed in a short term placement with some unexpected visitors, transitioned her to another foster home and celebrated their first ever “familiversary”. Hear how Dillon and Austin are transitioning into permanence and how the entire family is preparing for the addition of a brand new “loin child”.